A Happy Halloween
by HidingLight
Summary: **SPOILER ALERT** This is set in the future of the As It Seems story. Do not read if you haven't read AIS yet. A happy story for Halloween time where costumes bring smiles and candy abounds. Slash Gibbs/Tony


***SPOILER ALERT!*** If you have not read As It Seems, stop riiiiiiiiight here! This story is set a couple of months past the ending (that hasn't been written yet), and it gives some hints about things to come. As for As It Seems, I promise I'm getting back to it. I started writing this last October when Benny asked me for a happy story, and I had to finish it! It is indeed a happy Halloween :)

A Happy Halloween

"Pleeeeeease, Daddy Gibbsy!" Amira begged, giving Jethro the pleading puppy dog eyes that Tony knew would wear his husband down. He bit his lip and tried not to snicker, knowing that would fortify Jethro's need to reject the idea. He turned and headed for the kitchen to hide the glee on his face that their little girl had mastered the technique so well.

"Why does it matter?" Jethro asked, trying one last argument, but Tony could hear the defeat in his voice.

"Because Daddy Tony is gonna be, he's gonna be the-the-" Tony froze, waiting to see if she could remember. "Tony?" she called and he laughed silently as he opened the dishwasher.

"Scarecrow," he called.

"Yes! The Scarrow. And I get to be Dorothy, but no tornado." She added the last part in a loud whisper.

Tony turned to watch as Amira bounced on the couch next to Jethro, leaning in towards him to wrap her arms around his neck. They had removed the wall between the dining room and kitchen to open it up and add the countertop in the remodel. It allowed the perfect view of the talented groveling unfolding in the other room. Jethro arched an eyebrow as his eyes met Tony's, and Tony ducked back down as he placed another plate in the dishwasher, unable to keep from smiling broadly.

"And Abby is gonna be the scary witch, and- and Timmy is gonna be the kitty! We need you to be Tinman!"

Tony doubled over the dishwasher as he laughed. The only sound able to come out was a wheeze. His hands gripped the edge of the kitchen counter until he had to wipe the tears from his eyes. Amira had been scared of the lion for the first half an hour of screen time when they'd watched the Wizard of Oz together a few weeks earlier. It wasn't until he had explained that lions were just big kitty cats that she calmed down and learned the Cowardly Lion was harmless.

"Please, Gibbsy?" she asked quietly with almost no whine to her voice at all. It was such a pitiful and genuine sound that Tony stopped laughing and gave Jethro a look that said, _How could you say no to that?!_

The exasperated sigh from the man on the couch elicited a high pitched squeal from Amira, and suddenly she was in Jethro's lap hugging him tightly. It turned into Jethro tickling her until she was on her back on the couch, Jethro bending over her and kissing her face all over as his fingers earned the high pitched laughter of a happy child.

Tony watched the scene and committed it to memory. These were the happiest moments of his life. They gave him a feeling that he never thought he would ever feel, and its warmth gave him goosebumps. When Jethro finally sat up, releasing Amira, Tony closed the dishwasher and pressed the button to turn it on. When he turned back around, Amira was rushing up to him. He swooped her up in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Tony! Gibbsy's gonna be the Tinman!" she announced.

"I heard!" Tony said, leaning forward to rub his nose against hers, as was becoming their custom. "Good job!" he whispered. Amira leaned forward and took Tony's face in her tiny hands, rubbing their noses together again.

"He did it 'cause he loves me!" she whispered.

"Hey!" Jethro exclaimed, joining them in the kitchen. "How'd you know that?" He leaned forward and rested a hand on the back of Amira's head, smoothing her curls as he kissed her forehead. She giggled.

"Lotsa ways!" she answered, as Jethro stepped past them to get into the fridge.

"Well, my Dorothy," Tony began. "Did you show your papers to Gibbsy yet?"

Amira's eyes lit up and she shook her head. Tony smiled and sat her down.

"Go get 'em. You've only got a few minutes before you've got to get your bath and go to bed. Big day tomorrow."

Amira disappeared into the next room at lightning speed, and Tony turned to Jethro with a smile. He slipped his arms around the older man who was leaning against the island in the kitchen. "You just made her night. And her Halloween. Thank you." He leaned in to kiss the sheepish smile on Jethro's lips. He loved when Jethro wore that grin. It was something he only saw when it was just the two or three of them, and it felt like home.

"The _Tinman_?" Jethro asked in disbelief. "Really?"

"Think of it this way, you get to act heartless and carry a big axe. Suits you," Tony said with a snicker as Jethro's hand reflexively reached up to swat Tony in the back of the head. "Then again, maybe the heartless thing _doesn't_ really suit you these days. I think everyone's learned just how much of a soft spot you really have."

Tony ran his hands up Jethro's torso and behind his head as he leaned forward and took his lips in a kiss that looked innocent enough, but held a promise of something more fiery to come. As he pulled away, their eyes met and the spark between them sent a flush of heat through Tony's entire body, and Jethro was startled when Amira announced her presence.

"Cooooooooootttttiiiiieeeeeessss!" Neither man could laugh, but they shared another heated glance and wordless promises before they turned towards their munchkin.

"Whatcha got there?" Jethro asked, turning to sit his mug down on the counter. Amira climbed up on the stool at the end of the island and shuffled through a folder to hand a construction paper black cat wearing an orange hat and sporting green eyes to Jethro.

"I made a kitty!"

"Very nice!" Jethro said, holding it up. "Is it a girl or a boy?" he asked, learning in the short couple of months that Amira had been in school that she probably already had a name picked out for this construction paper pet.

"Girl. Her name is Catilda!" Amira announced proudly, and Jethro smirked at Tony, remembering the movie they'd all watched together the weekend before called _Matilda_.

"Very clever," he said. "What else you got there?"

Amira showed him her math test proudly, pointing out how she had gotten the extra credit question right, making up for the only problem she'd gotten wrong on the entire sheet. He gave her the proper kudos, and then asked what the last sheet was. Amira's entire demeanor fell, and Tony rubbed her back, encouraging her to proceed. She held up the last paper and ducked her head as Jethro took it.

"The dreaded spelling test," Tony said grimly.

Jethro nodded, noting that half of the words had green X's next to them. "Looks like we're going to have to study some more," he said.

"That's what I said. I'm thinking flashcards," Tony suggested as he rubbed Amira's shoulders.

"Could be helpful," Jethro said. "And we can practice in the car on the way to school in the mornings." He bent across the counter and kissed Amira on the forehead. When she still didn't look up, he placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him.

"Are you mad?" she asked quietly.

"Did you try your hardest?" Jethro asked. Amira nodded. "Then no, I'm not mad."

Amira let out a wavy sigh, and Tony felt her shudder under his hands in that way she did before she cried. He resisted the urge to pick her up and coddle her like Parke had suggested. He rubbed her arms though, and reiterated Jethro's point.

"As long as you try your best, we'll never be mad or disappointed with you honey. We all have something we don't get on the first try. Just keep trying, okay?" Tony reassured. Amira nodded, wiping at her eyes.

"Atta girl," Jethro said, giving her a smile. "You ready for a bath?" The thought of playing in the bathtub cheered her right up, and she handed the black cat to Tony to hang on the fridge, as was becoming another familiar ritual.

"Hmm… Let's see. I think she'd look good _right_ here! What do you think?" he asked, turning a discerning eye towards Amira and Jethro.

"Puurrrrfect!" Amira joked.

"Oh! That was bad! So bad it was amazing!" Tony said, making Amira giggle as he scooped her up and kissed her cheek before setting her back on the floor. "Go get ready for your bath." Amira continued giggling as she took off running for the staircase. "And no running in the house!"

"It's funny that spelling is her hardest subject when she reads so well," Jethro said quietly, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Maybe she's going too fast, like Ms. Hamilton said. She might just need to slow down. She's usually one of the first ones done, so maybe it's like a contest to her."

"Our daughter? Competitive? No way!" Jethro joked, chuckling into his coffee cup.

"Nope. She hasn't been ours long enough for that to rub off on her. That's gotta be Leyla's doing," Tony said with a sad smile.

"Oh, I'm sure we've rubbed off on her plenty," Jethro said, putting down the mug and backing Tony into a corner. He took his hands and pinned them to the countertops, then leaned forward to kiss him. He stopped an inch away from Tony's lips. "Constant power struggle…" he breathed out, his breath hitching as he could feel his body flushing.

"You love it," Tony whispered back.

"Not as much as you," Jethro whispered back, running his nose along Tony's jaw to inhale him.

"Mmmmm…" Tony moaned. "What do I wan-"

"Daddy Tony! Daddy Gibbsy!" Amira hollered from the top of the stairs. "I'm ready! Can I turn on the water?"

"No!" They both shouted at the same time.

"You know the rules!" Tony shouted over Jethro's shoulders. "We'll be up in a minute."

They'd been frozen in place, but Jethro leaned forward and took a gentle nip at Tony's jaw. "What do you want?" he whispered in Tony's ear.

"For Amira to be asleep _right now_ ," Tony growled.

Jethro stepped back with a smirk. "It's your turn to get the bath started. Can you handle it?"

"I'll handle it, and then I'll handle you. As soon as she's down for the night, you're going down."

"Hmmm," Jethro murmured as he moved for the laundry room. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Both."

Jethro turned and raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to his task. Tony checked his heated demeanor and took a few deep breaths as he climbed the stairs to tend to Amira.

Jethro gathered the laundry basket full of clothes from the dryer, and put the load from the washer in its place, turning the knobs to start it. He was grateful he'd been able to talk Tony into a set that wasn't computerized with fifty buttons. The knobs were understandable and familiar, even if there were doors on the front of both units now like at the laundromats.

He carried the basket up the stairs and thought about his Halloween costume. He wasn't looking forward to getting all dressed up. He wondered if he could get away with gray pants and a gray shirt, but he knew that Tony and Abby would be dolling Amira up to the nines, and they would be just as decked out. He even pictured McGee in a rented lion costume, holding his tail, and had to snicker to himself.

He passed the bathroom to find Tony bent over the tub pouring bubbles into the water with one hand while the other tested the temperature of the stream from the faucet. Amira's hands were already playing in the foaming bubbles as she stood there with a towel around her. He stopped and leaned against the doorframe, smiling at his family. Sudden flashes of plans to build an authentic Tinman costume, complete with spray painted funnel hat, came into his head. He knew he would do his part to complete the family trick-or-treating party with as much effort as the rest of them, if for no other reason than because his little girl would love it.

His smile widened as he thought of what Tony's reaction would be, and he thought about Tony's earlier statement in the kitchen. Yeah, everyone had definitely learned that he had a pretty big soft spot by now, and watching his husband and daughter flicking bubbles at each other, he felt so much warmth and love that he didn't give a damn if the entire world knew.

"You're going to need the mop if you keep going," he joked as the bubble war grew into Amira jumping into the tub, dropping her towel and picking up handfuls of bubbles to blow into Tony's hair. Tony chuckled and stood up, turning off the water.

"He's right, and I'm not mopping," he announced. "Fifteen minutes, Princess Bubbles. No extensions tonight. You need a full night's rest if you're going to pick the bestest pumpkin tomorrow!" Tony pulled the door closed behind him, but not all the way.

Jethro led the way into Amira's room with the laundry basket, sitting it on the bed as he picked out the pieces of her wardrobe from the mix. Tony helped fold them, and rummaged through the drawers for the orange and black striped pants and Halloween print shirt he knew Amira would want to wear on her field trip the next day.

"We need to make sure we hurry in the morning so there's time for pictures," he said. "She's probably going to want more when she gets home with her pumpkin. We'll have to leave the camera on the table for Sierra."

"Yeah," Jethro said, imagining a photo on the mantel of Amira sitting in a pile of leaves, leaning on top of a huge pumpkin. "She loves the camera."

"I don't know where we're going to put all the pictures we're taking! You know, we were going through the last batch, from the park last weekend, and I asked which ones she wanted to frame. She picked out two- only two- from the whole batch." Tony looked up, his eyes meeting Jethro's. "The one Ziva took of the three of us at the picnic table. You know, the one where she was sitting in your lap, and she leaned in to give me an Eskimo kiss?"

Jethro's smile reached his ears as he reached down into the basket for the matching sock to the one in his hand.

"The other was the one of her with Ned and Elly down in the leaves, where she sat on Elly's back dropping leaves on his head, when he was lying over Ned's stomach. Really cute picture. Ziva's got a knack for that candid shot."

"It's like we've gotten a daughter and two sons," Jethro said with a chuckle, picking up the basket now that it was void of Amira's clothes.

"I couldn't ask for our daughter to have two better brothers," Tony said with a soft smile at the thought of his guys and the seamless role they'd slipped into in their lives. "They're planning on coming over after their thing to raid the trick-or-treating candy and join in on movie night."

"Are we really going to watch The Wizard of Oz again?" Jethro groaned, leading the way back to the bedroom.

"Only until she falls asleep. Once she's in bed, it's Halloween and Halloween H2O. Just remember- no drooling over Jamie Lee Curtis."

"Where's the fun in that?!" Jethro joked.

"Hey! If you ever wanna catch my cooties again, you'll keep your drooling to yourself!" Tony joked back as he grabbed his t-shirt and boxers from the laundry basket, and headed for the bathroom to take care of his nightly rituals.

"Got it. No drooling. Are we expecting the boys to crash here?" Jethro called towards their bathroom.

"Probably. You know what happened after the Saw marathon."

Jethro snorted at the memory. None of them could look at each other the next morning over breakfast, but it wasn't clear if the two younger men were embarrassed because they'd both been so creeped out by the movies that they'd slept in the guest room with the light on all night, or if they had been awake and heard what had been going on down the hall. Amira was the only one oblivious to the sheepishness as she and the four men had breakfast together like the motley family they had somehow become.

He glanced at the clock and saw that there were eight minutes left for Amira's bath, and stepped into the hallway to listen to her singing to herself as she splashed.

"Check-in, Princess Bubbles!" he called, using the nickname she'd picked up that summer during bath time.

"I'm fine!" she hollered back.

"Okay," Jethro said. "Seven minutes!"

"Okayyyyy," she called.

Jethro rolled his eyes. It was the only time she really got sassy with them, and he'd learned that it was a touch of Leyla he just couldn't bring himself to squash.

He went back to the few things left in the laundry basket, hanging up a polo he would have to iron before he wore, and folding a couple of t-shirts before sticking them in a drawer. The basket was left on top of the dresser to take downstairs the next morning with anything they'd put in the hamper that night. He pulled his clothes off and put them directly in the basket, forgoing the hamper, and slipped on pajama pants he'd learned to start wearing now that Amira was in the house.

Tony's arms went around his waist, and he sighed happily as he leaned back into them. The weight of those strong arms was comforting and grounding against him, and he could stand in that embrace for hours if the world would let them.

"How much longer?"

Jethro looked at his watch. "Four minutes."

"That's four minutes too long. Do you think I could make her believe time's up now?"

Jethro chuckled. "Don't get into the habit of lying to her too early. We gotta save that for when she's older and we really need it."

Tony raised an eyebrow at Jethro in the mirror they were in front of. "Hmm. Sneaky, conniving, and brilliant. Already plotting for her teenage years?"

"One can never start too early for that kind of thing," Jethro joked back with a smirk as he closed his eyes again and breathed in Tony's scent.

"I prefer to stay in denial that these innocent bubble bath years are ever going to end."

"There are perks that trade off with the growing up stuff. I think we'll see that more than most."

"Yeah," Tony said, thinking about how Amira had gotten so upset about the spelling test. "Do you ever think she's going to settle? You know, not freak out every time she isn't perfect, thinking that we're going to want to get rid of her?"

"She's already getting better about it. She's come a long way since Italy."

"True," Tony said, resting his head on Jethro's shoulder so his face was tucked into the older man's neck.

"Have you figured out what you want yet?" Jethro asked Tony with a sudden roughness to his voice, glad to change the tone of the conversation.

"Mmmm..." Tony hummed. "I want for you to take me slowly," he began, whispering in Jethro's ear as he held Jethro tighter against him, letting his hands coast down his body. "And not let me do a damn thing."

"I can do that," Jethro affirmed, his voice a gravelly turn-on in itself. He turned in Tony's embrace and pulled him closer for a demanding kiss, and Tony melted into it gladly. Work had been non-stop since the honeymoon, but the past few days had wiped him out. Getting to leave the office on time for once that day, and getting Jethro to do the same, had been a miracle. He could use a little turn over tonight.

Jethro pulled back, his eyes lustfully dark, and raised one eyebrow in a cocky manner that turned Tony on despite himself.

"Amira! Time to get out!" he called, leaving Tony standing in the middle of the bedroom to catch his breath and get his erection under control before he had to tuck Amira in.

Tony could hear Amira's pout from the next room. "Awww! Five more minutes?" she asked.

And then Jethro's rebuttle.

"Nope. Big day tomorrow. You need your rest. You've got to have all your strength to pick out the best pumpkin and carry it home."

Tony smiled to himself, and took a deep breath. Jethro's voice was completely different with Amira than it was with anyone else. It was lighter, more cheerful, warm, but still held an undeniable authority. He sat on the edge of the bed running his hand through his hair and taking deep breaths to get himself settled. He could hear the giggles from the next room that meant Jethro was probably taking a towel to Amira's curls.

"Hey, Tony? Where's that stuff?" Jethro called.

Tony got to his feet. "It's in here. I'll get it." He stepped into the ensuite bathroom and picked up a white spray bottle with purple letters, then made his way into the other bathroom to find Amira slipping her nightgown over her head as Jethro hung her towel over the shower rod to dry.

Amira bent over to open the cabinet under the bathroom sink and pull out a plastic bucket with her brush, combs, and hair things, and handed it up to Tony. Tony took one of the combs and smiled at Jethro as he sprayed the frizz spray into her hair and combed it through while it was wet and manageable. He thought about all of the mornings they'd fought with her beautiful curly brown hair, and silently thanked Sierra for her wisdom on how to tame it. A few minutes later, it was in two loose braids and Amira was yawning.

"All done," Tony said, bending to drop a kiss on Amira's crown, and handed her the comb. He walked out of the room as Amira put her bucket back in its spot.

Jethro waited her out as she got it in place, and then reached for her. She reached back and he picked her up, her head immediately going to his shoulder as she started succumbing to the sleepiness he could see in her eyes. He carried her across the hall into her room to find Tony already pulling back the blankets and moving her stuffed animals out of the way so she could lie amongst them.

Jethro gently laid her down on the bed, and as had become their routine, Amira held on to his neck until he kissed her on the forehead. Tony watched, taking in yet another moment of perfection with his family. Those little things amazed him. He couldn't believe how just a few months before this was foreign, but now life wouldn't be complete without it.

Jethro stepped back and Tony moved forward to bend down and rub his nose against Amira's, her tiny hands taking his face as he did, making him smile from ear to ear, his eyes crinkling. "Love you, Munchkin. Sleep well."

"Love you, too, Daddy," she said in her tiny sleepy voice.

Tony turned to see Jethro staring at him with the same endeared look that he had just been giving him. He reached out for his hand and Tony took it. They walked out, turning off the light as they went. The room was illuminated by the small star shaped night light lamp on Amira's desk, and they both turned in time to look back and see Amira rolling over and snuggling with Dirt as she settled in for the night. The door was pulled mostly shut behind them, and they headed for their bedroom.

"Could life get any better?" Tony asked quietly.

"No," Jethro said, the smile evident in his voice.

"I'll be happy when we get court out of the way though," Tony said as he moved to make sure his cell phone was plugged in and set to wake them in the morning.

"Won't have any problems with that," Jethro dismissed quickly.

"I'm just glad Granny Shakarji hasn't put up a fight."

"She doesn't have grounds to, and she knows Amira is safer here. I think Mike helped make that clear years ago. She can visit if she wants, but she hadn't for three years before the funeral, and I honestly don't think that's going to change."

"Yeah. You know how I am though. If something seems too good to be true, then it's about to get screwed up in such a big way that I'll-"

"NO," Jethro said with enough force to make Tony look up from where he was crawling under the covers. " _Nothing_ will take this from us, Tony."

Tony nodded and sighed. He still wondered how Jethro could just say something and it suddenly became truth. Every doubt left as Jethro crawled into bed with him, and then straddled him. He let himself melt into the bed, his hands reaching for the warm body on top of him.

Jethro caught his hands and pinned them gently to the side of Tony's head while shaking his own head slowly. "No. Keep them there," he whispered before bending down to kiss Tony's lips.

Tony nodded, his eyes closing. He could almost feel the pressure lifting off of him as he turned himself over willingly to his husband. For as long as they had been together, as co-workers and then as lovers, he'd had confidence in Jethro's direction, knowing he'd never lead him astray and that he'd always catch him as he fell. The way Jethro's lips slid over his, pulling back as Tony tried to lean up into the kiss, then kissing him again when he laid back, following the unspoken order, made Tony shiver.

Jethro smiled into the kiss as Tony read his instructions without flaw. Their own silent language of glances had developed over a decade before, and had been growing substantially with a daughter, but this language of kisses and touches was much newer. It still held uncharted nuances and mystery. It was still exhilarating to try to learn each other's body language and sexual wants, and was even more exhilarating to fulfill them.

Like now, Jethro noticed Tony's knee bend as his left leg slid just a little over his own underneath him. Tony's need for touch, need to contact and connect, was always strong. He'd been learning that little bit of touch also gave him just enough friction at his groin to intensify the pleasure.

Tony felt the muscles in his body loosen bit by bit as Jethro nibbled his way down a stubbly jawline. Tony could hear him inhale deeply, and he knew Jethro was taking in his scent. He'd known since they had first gotten together what the scent of one another did to them. It was comforting, relaxing, and at times like these, animalistic and erotic. To breathe in another person's essence, their own aroma, was intoxicating- especially for these two men.

Jethro's nose ran down Tony's neck, and his lips stopped every few centimeters to suckle the tendons there. Once he'd gotten to the base of Tony's neck, that part he knew would be covered by Tony's collar the next day, he bit down. Tony's sharp inhale turned into a low groan that told him he was doing something right. He realized Tony needed the pain tonight. It was like that for them after crazy weeks: Jethro needed control and to let the beast within out, and Tony needed to let go of the reins and be taken down by the pain.

The next bite was even harder. This time, it left dark purple teeth marks on Tony's collarbone. Jethro licked at them gently, glad he didn't draw blood. He knew he was going to have to rein it in just a little before he lost all control and did things to Tony that required a bandage like had happened on their honeymoon. Surprisingly soft lips travelled down Tony's body, a complete contrast to the bites. They stopped to lavish attention on Tony's nipples, outlined his pecs and stomach muscles, and then teased his navel. Jethro's tongue came out to play along the way, and Tony kept waiting for more teeth, but none came.

Looking up into Tony's bright eyes, Jethro saw that the younger man was eager, anxious, and excited. Looking down at the cock in front of him, he saw the same things reflected. There was a thick string of pre-cum dripping down into Tony's pubic hair, and he was thick and hard. Jethro reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out the black silicone cockring that Tony favored. It stretched just enough to put on when he was already hard, and Jethro slid it down and around Tony's base.

"Don't even think about coming," he said quietly, knowing it would have the desired effect on Tony. He wasn't let down. Tony's eyes slid closed and he shuddered hard, his mouth hanging slightly open. He leaned down to whisper in Tony's ear. "I get to come first tonight." Tony nodded, opening his eyes again to look into Jethro's. Jethro saw the change he was looking for in those eyes. They were now glazed over, and Tony relaxed down into the mattress, knowing his body was only there to be used for the time being. He didn't need to do anything.

Sure fingers wrapped around Tony's cock, giving him a few strokes, making him impossibly harder. The tight ring at the base of his cock _almost_ hurt. It was just enough to feed the passion. Just enough to have him walking on edge. He moaned, his brain taking a vacation as endorphins flooded in, taking over.

"Atta boy," Jethro said quietly. "Let yourself fall. Let me take you down."

Tony nodded very slowly, feeling high as he rode away on the sensations running through him.

"I want you tied up," Jethro said, swinging off of Tony and bending over to get under the bed and pull out a plain cardboard box that held the bondage rope they'd bought. He took the few steps to the door and turned the lock on the doorknob he'd installed for some privacy that summer. He turned back to the bed, wrapping the rope around his hand as he stared down at his lover.

He took his time getting Tony naked and bound. He slid his pajama pants off of him, taking the boxers below with him. Then he tied the rope through the slats of the headboard, then around Tony's hands, and then lastly around his ankles which were lifted up to hover over Tony's stomach. Tony was barely moving now, and when he did it was with slow, drugged movements. Jethro loved when that happened. He loved being able to take Tony to that place where the head-rush made everything all better.

The lid was popped open on the lube and he squirted a generous amount on his dick. He was aching to be inside of the younger man before him. He closed the lube and then lined himself up with Tony's tight entrance, grateful that the ropes were holding Tony's legs out of the way. He pushed himself inside very, very, very slowly. It was agonizingly slow, and it stretched Tony out in a way that made him arch his back in an attempt to force it go to faster. Jethro's hands on his hips kept him from succeeding.

"No. We do this my way," he said. The only response he got from Tony was a whimper that turned into a happy sigh. Jethro pulled out to make his point, then started over, slowly pushing his way in. Tony was starting to stretch though, so Jethro's head slipped past the ring of muscles this time with almost no resistance. He held his breath as he pushed the rest of the way in at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Once he was settled deep inside of Tony, he bent forward and kissed Tony's half open mouth gently. "You're so fucking perfect," he whispered as he ran his own jaw against Tony's stubble. His mouth went to Tony's ear. "So perfect."

His mouth suddenly latched onto Tony's neck and his hips began thrusting wildly, pushing in and out of Tony. He moved his mouth down and bit again, his hips still bucking as his cock slipped in and out, back and forth, deeper and deeper into the younger man. Tony was shaking under him. He didn't move on his own accord, but his body was humming. It didn't take long for Jethro to feel the orgasm running down his back and pool at the base of his stomach. The way he let go with abandon as he attacked the man beneath him meant his own restraint was cast aside. The wave of pleasure crashed over him, and he bit down hard on Tony's chest as he stilled and came inside of him.

Tony was a mound of pure sensation. He wouldn't move, but he was shackled by more than the rope. He felt the heady erotic tension of Jethro's command not to come, while at the same time feeling like he was trapped mid-orgasm with the way the pain and pleasure combined so sensually. He was burning on his neck, his shoulder, his chest in ways that would be tender the next day, but for the moment only made him lose all sense of thought. His cock was unbelievably hard and rigid, and he was on fire from head to toe, his body flushed with passion.

"Tony?" Jethro finally whispered, his own breath shaky. Tony's eyes slowly moved to look over at Jethro, whose head rested on his shoulder. "Do you want to come now?"

Tony didn't respond. He only blinked.

"Oh!" Jethro chuckled softly. "You're in deep tonight. I didn't realize you needed to be taken down so bad. It's been in a while, hasn't it?" Again, Tony simply blinked.

Jethro moved to the cockring and very carefully slipped a thumbnail under each side. He stretched it, carefully sliding it up and over Tony's head. He laid back down on the younger man between the feet that were hoisted in the air, and reached a hand between them to stroke Tony off while he kissed the bite marks gently.

"Come for me, Tony."

Tony's scream was lost as Jethro kissed him, swallowing it as he felt the slick heat pooling between them. A couple of minutes later, Jethro was on his knees untying the ropes. He helped to lower Tony's legs carefully, making sure the circulation hadn't been cut off too long in them. He rubbed them briskly, and did the same for Tony's arms once they were liberated. Tony moaned though, shaking his head as Jethro undid his wrists.

"I have to, Tony. You're going to go numb soon if I don't."

Tony's eyes were pleading up at him.

"You still can't move," Jethro commanded. "Not until I tell you." Tony relaxed again, sighing heavily.

Jethro got a wet rag from the bathroom and wiped himself down before rinsing it and coming in to take care of Tony. Once he was finished, he threw the rag in the laundry basket, then slipped back into boxers and pajamas. He then redressed Tony. The younger man's completely pliant body was causing a rush of heat to his groin. He didn't have the recovery time he used to, but there was definitely some reaction to be felt.

Once they were both dressed, the rope was packed away, and the door was unlocked again, Jethro turned off the light and crawled under the covers with his husband. He pulled the younger man's body over on top of his.

"You were so great, Tony," he whispered. "You're so damn wonderful. You can wrap your arms around me. That's it." He coaxed the younger man back to reality.

"I-" Tony had to stop to clear his throat. "I never realized how much I enjoyed this until you took me. Now I need it."

"I need it, too."

"Good," Tony said. "Coma time."

Jethro chuckled softly into Tony's hair. Tony always slept deeply after nights like tonight. Jethro didn't mind one bit. He waited until Tony's breathing evened out, and then he closed his eyes. A few minutes later and he was asleep.

When they woke up, Amira was already playing in her room. They could hear her voice pretending to be "the good guy" as they exploded something.

"She's definitely your daughter," Tony said softly, chuckling to himself.

"You think?" Jethro said with a smile.

"She's in there exploding the bad guys."

"She's definitely _our_ daughter. You've been known to take down some bad guys, too."

"Yeah, but I've never blown one up." Tony looked up into Jethro's eyes.

"I haven't either. I've been blown up, a couple of times now, but I haven't blown anyone up." Tony stared up at him. "Okay. I haven't blown anyone up _intentionally_."

"That's more like it," Tony said, then kissed Jethro slowly before suddenly rolling over and shutting up the snooze alarm.

They both groaned and headed for the bathroom.

"Holy crap, Jethro!" Tony chuckled. "I look like I've been attacked by a vampire!"

Jethro's arms came around Tony from behind in front of the mirror. "Yeah. It's so damned sexy I want to take you all over again."

"Mmmm…" Tony sighed. "Don't tempt me."

"If Amira wasn't already up…" Jethro said, letting Tony go and shaking his head before turning on the shower.

"Promises, promises," Tony said with a smirk as he shaved, all the time watching his lover shower in the mirror's reflection.

*****(|||)*****(|||)*****

It was Halloween, and Amira was so excited that she came and woke Jethro and Tony up before their alarms went off.

"Daddies! It's Halloween!"

Tony sat up, less than enthusiastic, and picked up his phone to look at the time as Jethro groaned.

"Amira, it's 5AM. Go back to bed."

"I can't sleep!"

"Can you sleep if you sleep with us?" he asked. Amira shrugged. "Let's give it a try, shall we?" Amira crawled up and over his body, and snuggled down between them. Jethro rolled over, pulling Amira close to him, and soon they were all asleep again. An hour and a half later, the alarm went off, waking them all. For Amira, it was like she'd never been to sleep. She was exuberantly awake in seconds.

"Can I put my costume on?" she asked. "Pleeeeeeeease?"

"Not yet," Jethro said, bending over to kiss her on top of the head on the way to the bathroom.

"Oookay," she said sadly.

"Go hang out in your room while Daddy Gibbsy and I get ready for work," Tony instructed.

"Can I color?" she asked.

"With the crayons, not the markers," Tony said.

"Yay!" Amira said, running for her room.

"No running in the house!" Tony shouted after her.

Tony headed into the bathroom to shave as Jethro stepped into the shower.

"With her love of Halloween, I can picture her turning into Abby one day," Tony said as he lathered his face.

"I don't know. I can't see her pulling off the goth thing very well."

"Hey, if she goes that way, Abby can give her her hand-me-downs. Will make her the best aunt in the world."

"She's already the best aunt in the world," Jethro said with a chuckle as he soaped himself up.

"That's true. I bet she's coloring in that huge Halloween coloring book she got her right now."

"Yup," Jethro agreed.

Jethro finished getting ready for work first, having gotten in the shower first. He headed into Amira's room and started helping her into her costume.

"We're going to have to get Daddy Tony to do your hair. He's the one that has the braiding thing down," Jethro said as he pulled her curls out from the inside of her blue checked dress.

"Dorothy has pigtail braids," she affirmed with a nod. Jethro patted the bed, motioning for Amira to sit down on it. He handed her a pair of socks, and she pulled them on, folding them over with care to look like Dorothy's socks in the movie. He then held up a pair of red slip on canvas shoes. They'd taken red glitter paint to them the weekend before and made them as shiny as possible. "And we have to have her ruby shoes."

Jethro smirked as he handed them to her to slip on. She did so without any grace whatsoever, and he snickered to himself. Tony came to the door, finally in his suit of the day, a mug of coffee in each hand.

"Well don't you look beautiful!" he announced. Jethro came over and took the mug from Tony's left hand while leaning forward for a quick kiss.

"I look just like Dorothy!" she said. "Wait!" She reached over and picked up Dirt off of the bed. " _Now_ I look just like Dorothy."

Tony and Jethro looked at each other with big smiles. "Is Dirt going to dress up like Toto?" Tony asked.

"No," Amira said. "He's not. He looks enough like Toto just 'cause."

"Okay," Tony said with a sage-like nod. "You can carry him around in your candy bucket instead of a basket!" he suddenly said, the epiphany hitting him like a genius idea.

"I'm not going to eat him!" Amira said with a giggle.

"Oh?" Jethro said, reaching his mug out for Tony to take. "You're not?" he said, picking Amira up and pretending to gobble her. "Maybe I'm going to eat you for breakfast!"

Amira's fit of giggles was music to Tony's ears. The smiles on his husband and daughter's faces were the most beautiful thing he could ever ask for. He and Jethro had taken up their roles in Amira's life. Tony was the serious one, the one that kissed the booboos, read to her, and called her out on her school work. Jethro was the one that played with her, protected her from monsters under the bed, and worked hard to cheer her up. Between the two of them, they had the gambit covered.

Once Jethro had kissed every inch of Amira's face three times, Tony intervened. "Come on, Munchkin. We need to do your hair and get some breakfast in you."

"I'm going to go put some frozen waffles in," Jethro said. "Do you want some?"

Tony shook his head no. "I think today is a cereal bar day. Not that hungry."

"Okay," Jethro answered, kissing Tony as he walked by. Amira squeezed past them on the way to her bathroom, already getting in the cabinet under the sink to get her bucket of hair stuff out.

Half an hour later, the three of them headed out the door. Dirt had ended up tucked in the orange bucket covered in ghosts and dancing skeletons after all. Amira's backpack was a stark contrast to her outfit, but she loved wearing it. Tony and Jethro were both glad she was so excited about school. It made things a lot easier on them than they had been over the summer.

"Okay," Jethro said as he drove down the road. "Remember, when Sierra picks you up from school, you give her all your candy until we get home."

"Okay," Amira said with a slight pout. "Can I have some when you get home?"

"Not until after dinner," Tony said, slipping right into his role. "Sierra is going to make us all something for dinner so that we can be ready to eat and then head out trick-or-treating as soon as we get home. We're both going to be there by 6PM sharp. We have other people fighting the bad guys for us tonight so we can go trick-or-treating with you. And Abby and Tim will be there by 6:30 when it all starts."

"Yay! The Crowdedly Lion and the big bad witch!"

Jethro chuckled. " _Cowardly_ Lion, Munchkin. Do you know what cowardly means?"

"Uhhh…"

"It means when you're too afraid to do something," he explained. "In his case, he's scared of everything all the time. He needed more courage."

" _Ohhh_ …" she said, finally understanding.

Tony took Jethro's hand with a smile. They weren't so bad at this, he decided. They pulled up to Amira's school and Tony got out with her, taking pictures of her in her costume on the sidewalk and with her friends until Jethro warned him they were going to be late for work. They both gave her hugs and kisses, and then watched her head into school with two other girls, their arms linked.

Back in the car, they couldn't stop smiling.

"I never knew it could be like this," Tony said as they headed towards the office.

"I'm really glad I get to share this with you," Jethro said quietly, taking Tony's hand that rested on his knee.

"Same here," Tony said.

The day went by in a blur for them. At a few minutes until five, Abby came up from her lab, decked out to the nines as the Wicked Witch of the West.

"Wow!" Tony said as she entered his side of the bullpen.

"That's wicked," Elly said, getting up to come stand in front of his desk.

"Heh, I see what you did there," Parke said with a chuckle.

"Why thank you," Elly said as Ned groaned.

"You look awesome," Tony said, getting up to examine Abby's face makeup.

"Thanks!" she said. "It took me over an hour to get it just right, but I think green skin suits me!"

"Lookin' good, Abs," Jethro said over the partition. He'd gotten to his feet and was leaning on it with a smirk.

She spun, her willowy black dress fluttering around her, the broom in her right hand almost hitting Tony.

"Are you sure you guys don't wanna come with us?" she asked the rest of Tony's team. "It's not too late for me to turn you into zombies or maybe a vampire."

"Can't," Elly said. "We've got a meeting with the wedding planner tonight. It's the only time they're free for the next two weeks, and with the wedding only two months away-"

"54 days," Ned interrupted.

"-there's so much to do," Elly finished.

"We're giving out candy at the trunk-or-treat at Tiff's work," Parke said. "I have a simple ghost costume I'm going to put on that has a bow tie, and she's got one with a bow in the hair area thing. I'm still not sure how ghosts wear _anything_ , nonetheless a bowtie, but we're gonna rock it!"

"Too cute!" Abby said.

"You guys are coming over for movie night afterwards though, right?" Abby asked, looking back and forth between Elly and Ned.

"Yep!" Ned said.

"With our go-bags. I doubt the Halloween movies are as bad as the Saw movies, but we're not going to take any chances," Elly confirmed.

"The doors to Chez Gibbs are always open," Tony said. Abby turned as she heard the elevator open and then ran to greet Tim and show him her costume. The rest of the team settled in to talk about Elly and Ned's wedding plans until it was time to go.

Tony and Jethro headed for the stairwell door as the rest of their teams crammed into the elevator. They stopped in their blind bend for a quick kiss, their daily routine, and then headed for their car.

"She's going to be ecstatic when you put on your costume, you know this, right?" Tony said.

"She's going to love yours, too. I don't see why mine is so much more special."

"Because you made yours. I bought mine. Yours is going to rock!"

They debated Halloween costumes until they were halfway home when Tony burst into laughter at how heated the debate was getting.

"You do realize that we're getting into a fight over whose Halloween costume is better, right?"

Jethro's smile reached his ears. "This is what having kids does to a person!" he said, defending himself.

"Let's just both agree to be awesome, and leave it at that."

"Agreed," Jethro said, then added under his breath. "You're going to look better though."

Tony just laughed.

They got home to find Sierra dishing out baked carrots, sweet potatoes, and corn next to pieces of baked chicken.

"Lookit Daddy! It's all Halloween foods. There's orange, and orange, and corn!"

Jethro laughed and kissed Amira on top of the head.

"Thanks for cooking for us tonight, Sierra. It's going to take us a little bit to get our costumes on, and this is saving us big time."

"Not a problem," she said, sitting down to eat with them. They talked about what Amira did at school that day, and about all the costumes the kids wore. Tony and Jethro devoured their food while at the same time telling Amira to eat slower. They were anxious to get into their costumes and show Amira. They were just finishing their food when Tim and Abby showed up at their door. Sierra let them in, and greeted them with excitement. Amira got up from the table without waiting to be told and ran into the living room. She froze in her tracks when she saw Abby's witch costume and Tim's rented lion costume.

"Cool!" she exclaimed. Tony snapped a photo of her reaction with his phone. It was kind of dark, but it was cute.

"We need to go get ready. Do you two mind keeping her occupied so Sierra can head out?" Jethro asked.

"Not a problem," Abby said, coming at Amira with witchly fingers.

Amira squealed and ran for the couch, and Abby chased her with her best evil laugh. Sierra laughed.

"I'll get the dishes put in the dishwasher and then I'll head home," she told Tony.

"Sounds great. Thanks again!" Tony got up and headed for the stairs going up, while Jethro headed for the basement.

Ten minutes later, Tony came downstairs. He was dressed, but needed his face paint done. He enlisted Abby's help, and sat down on a kitchen chair while she worked her magic. Fifteen minutes after that, a clanging noise could be heard coming up the basement stairs. Amira crept towards Tony, unsure of herself as the noise got louder. When the door to the basement creaked open, everyone stopped and stared.

"Wow," Amira said in shock. "Daddy?" she asked. Jethro stood in the dining room with a metal funnel strapped to his head, silver face paint, and a handmade metal body suit over a pair of gray pants. He had silver dryer hose for arms with metal hinges at the elbows, and metal plates on his forearms and biceps. His outfit was perfected by metal boots that went to his knees and gloves that had been duct taped until they were completely silver.

"That is freaking awesome, Gibbs!" Abby said.

"Yeah, Boss. You've really outdone yourself," Tim said, eyes wide.

"You wanted me to be the Tinman, so I'm the Tinman," he said.

"Cool!" Amira said, clinging to Tony. The awe still obvious on her face.

"Told you," Tony said with a snicker.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, bending to give Tony a very light kiss so they didn't exchange makeup.

"Can I touch it?" Amira said.

"Sure. You want to bang on my chest like she does in the movie?" Amira reached as high as she could and rapped on Jethro's metal body. It rattled loudly.

"Wow," she said. "Daddy! You're the Tinman!" She squealed excitedly.

"I know!" he said with a smile.

Abby moved to put the finishing touches on Tony's makeup, and then they all headed for the living room.

"Do you have your bucket?" Tony asked.

"Oh!" Amira said, running across the room to where she'd sat her backpack and bucket when she got home. She picked it up, and handed Dirt to Tony.

"I think Dirt needs to stay here," he said.

"Awww!" she said.

"We don't want him to get eaten by any goblins," Jethro said.

"Oh no!" she said. She took the bear over to the couch and covered him up with the blanket so he was tucked in.

"Okay. Are we ready?" Tony asked.

"Yup! Weeeeee're off to see the wizard!" Amira started singing very off key, and linked her arms through Tony and Jethro's as they headed outside laughing. Once they hit the sidewalk, Tony linked his arm through Tim's for a moment, making him laugh.

Amira was soon caught up in the trick-or-treating fever though, and as they marched slowly down the sidewalk, she ran from house to house with her bucket. They'd gone four blocks down one side of the street, greeting people as they passed and getting compliments on their costumes. Then they crossed the street and started down that side.

Amira would occasionally run back to them and announce what types of candy she was getting, but she'd become part of a small group of kids that went door to door together. Their parents walked with the Wizard of Oz crew, chatting here and there.

"So I take it Dorothy is with you," one woman said with a chuckle to Tony.

"How'd you guess?" he said with a snicker.

"Shot in the dark, I know, but…"

"Yeah, she's ours," he said, taking Jethro's gloved hand instinctively.

"She's really lucky to have a great support system like this," she said.

"This is our first Halloween with her," Tony indulged. "She lost her mother this summer. It makes me really happy to be able to do things like this for her."

"You're doing an amazing job," she said quietly as she leaned in.

"Thanks," Tony said with a smile.

Amira came running up, showing Tony a full size Milky Way bar she scored.

"Wow! That's a big one!" he said. "Are you going to be able to eat that all by yourself?"

She shook her head no.

"I think I may be able to help you with that," Jethro said with a wink.

"Time for more candy!" Amira said, running back to be with her new group of friends.

They spent the next few blocks chatting with their neighbors, and then found Elly and Ned waiting for them in the driveway when they got home. Ned had donned a clown wig and red nose, and Elly was wearing a pair of cat ears. He'd painted whiskers on his face, and as they approached them, they realized he had a tail as well.

"Boyfriends!" Amira yelled as she ran towards them. Ned scooped her up and kissed her cheek before she reached for Elly.

The rest of the group gathered around them. Ned noticed the candy bucket in Tony's hand.

"Candy! Whatcha bring me, Boss?" Ned asked, heading for the bucket.

"Hey!" Amira said. "That's my candy!"

"You're not going to share with me?" Ned said, looking towards Amira with a dramatically sad face. "Aww," he added as he pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and honked his nose. Much to Amira's delight it made an actual honking noise.

"Okay!" she relented. "You can have two pieces!"

"Why thank you!" Ned said, winking at Elly.

The group of them gathered in the living room after taking off some of the more uncomfortable parts of their costumes. They were careful to move Dirt before they sat on the couch. They got comfy and Tony passed popcorn and candy corn around the room as they watched the Wizard of Oz come to life on the screen in front of them.

They sat enchanted as the screen went from black and white to technicolor. Even when Amira had fallen asleep across Jethro and Tony's laps, the rest of the group was zoned in on the movie they'd all seen many times.

When the credits finally rolled, Tony looked around the room to find Ned and Elly had dozed off together on the loveseat. Tim's head was asleep against the arm of the couch from the floor, and Abby was asleep with her head in his lap. Tony looked over at Jethro who was still awake, but his eyes were red with exhaustion. He was smiling though, and Tony smiled back. He looked around the room at everyone, then back at Jethro.

"There really is no place like home," he whispered.

"No place like home," Jethro echoed.


End file.
